The program is set for IGPs’ annual workshop, “Comparative Analysis of Platform Governance in the US and China.” Registration for the free event is open and available via Eventbrite.  

The virtual conference, to be held June 23 – 25, 2021, is an ambitious attempt to foster scholarly exchanges between Chinese and Western scholars. The conference will span different time zones by having sessions alternate between 9 am – Noon US Eastern time (9 pm – midnight Beijing time) and 9 pm – midnight US Eastern time (9 am – Noon Beijing time). Simultaneous translation between English and Chinese will be available onthe Zoom platform.

China and the US have the two biggest internet economies in the world. Policy issues related to platform governance have become prominent in both countries – as well as Europe – in the last two years. These include problems in moderating or suppressing social media content, problems in competition policy, issues in cybersecurity and privacy, and issues related to the intersection of financial regulation and e-commerce and platform payment systems.  

The conference features 21 academic papers and two discussion round tables on these topics. The round tables feature experts from industry, civil society and government as well as academics. Papers and commentary from scholars in the United States, Canada, Germany, the UK, Netherlands, Australia as well as 9 different universities in China are involved.  The full program is published here.

The conference organizers believe that an analytical comparison of US and Chinese platform governance will clarify the domestic and transnational issues and provide a more objective perspective on some of the conflicts between the two countries in the digital arena.